Animal Well: How to Get the True Ending

Ready for one last escapade in Animal Well? You’ve unlocked your crib, snagged every Egg, chatted up every Bunny, and hit evolution. Now, brace yourself for the ultimate challenge: animal harassment. Relax, there’s no Animal Well PD. This guide’s for the bold, diving into the Unicode labyrinth to unearth the game’s juiciest secret: Animal Well’s true ending.

Psst! If you’re not quite at this point of the game yet, we can help you complete the main game, find all the eggs, get all the tools, and collect all the bunnies.

** This guide only shows how to get the ending, and does not spoil the actual events once the steps are complete**

Animal Well’s True Ending, Explained

To unlock the true ending of Animal Well, you must find eight hidden Unicode messages by performing specific tasks and challenges scattered throughout the game. These messages, once decoded, reveal a secret path through the stars.

Pedometer Unicode Message in Animal Well

1. At the very top of the well, on the right-hand side, you can dig through some ground using the Top.
2. You need to be inside the pedometer when your step count is below 100.
3. Here’s a trick: when your step count reaches 100,000, it rolls over to zero.
4. So, make sure to get up there and enter the pedometer when the count is 99.
5. Inside, you’ll find a chest containing the first Unicode message.

Hummingbird Unicode Message in Animal Well

Next, let’s annoy the Hummingbird at the top of the stairs to get the second unicode message for the true ending in Animal Well.

1. Head to the middle of the well with the better Bubbles Wand and spam bubbles.
2. The Hummingbird will try to pop them all, and you’ll hear its wings crescendo.
3. Once the sound peaks and stays there for about five seconds, the Hummingbird will return to its perch and curse you out in Unicode. This is your second message.

Lynx Unicode Message in Animal Well

After freeing all the Lynx Kittens, their mother sings you a song. But if you don’t free the kittens and instead play the song yourself:

→→↓↘↓↓←↘→→↓↘↓↓←↘→↓↘↓↓←↘←→↓↘↓↓←↘←↓←↘←←↑↓←↘←↑→↑↑←↑←←↓↓←↘↓↓→↘↓↓→↘↓↓←↑↓↑→↑→→↑→↓→↑↓→↑←↘→↑←→↑←↑→↑↑→↑→↑→↑.

The cage will still open, giving you the Wheel and the third Unicode message. You need at least 32 eggs to get to the Top and dig through the ground.

Kangaroo Unicode Message in Animal Well

Now, for a mischievous task: trap the Kangaroo and annoy it with firecrackers to get the fourth unicode message for the true ending in Animal Well.

1. Find it in the Dog Altars and make sure the trap door is open using the correct flute notes.
2. Track down the Kangaroo until it’s trapped, then keep throwing firecrackers at it.
3. Eventually, it will escape, yelling at you in Unicode—your fourth message.

Squirrel Unicode Message in Animal Well

Catching five squirrels in one run is tricky. Start from a fresh save and sneak up on them using a controller for better control. Here’s a quick rundown:

Visual Reference	Squirrel	How to catch it
	First Squirrel	Near the Fish Room entrance. You can catch it by going through the Dog Room above, dropping down, and sneaking up behind its back.
	Second Squirrel	In the Dog Room, use the Bubbles Wand to float up and down slowly behind its back.
	Third Squirrel	Use a key from the Dog Room, where you find the explosive and the fish head to unlock the door past the Groundhog in the Ostrich Room. With the Yoyo, hit the switch above and fall down to find the third squirrel below you.
	Fourth Squirrel	Get the key from the purple spear enemies and use it in the Chameleon Room. Open this door and sneak up on this squirrel.
	Fifth Squirrel	In the Dog Room, near the Mock Disc Altar, use the Disc to hit the third green switch and, as you drop down, stand on one of your bubbles to sneak up on the fifth squirrel.

The last successful catch rewards you with the fifth Unicode message.

Speedrun Unicode Message in Animal Well

For the sixth message for the true ending in Animal Well, you must speedrun the game and reach the “leave the well” ending in under an hour.

I can only recommend that you collect 32 eggs and use glitches like Wheel warping and Bubbles Wand warping. When you reach the clock within the time limit, you’ll receive the sixth Unicode message from the Donkey figurine. Wink, wink.

Groundhog Unicode Message in Animal Well

To get the seventh message, change your computer or console’s date to Groundhog Day and interact with the blue Grounghog in the Ostrich Room.

1. Set your computer or console date to February 2nd (Groundhog Day) to make the groundhog appear, holding a potion that grants a golden heart.
2. With this extra heart, survive the Chameleon attack in his room, and it will spit out the seventh Unicode message.

Fruit Unicode Message in Animal Well

The final challenge involves eating 100 fruits around the world without taking damage to get the last unicode message for the true ending in Animal Well.

1. Die first to reset the fruit, then traverse the well, eating fruit and saving your game frequently.
2. When you eat the last fruit, the squiggles above your head transform into the final Unicode message.

What to do with the Unicode Messages in Animal Well

With all eight messages in hand, decode them using the colors from the poster in your house to get the true ending in Animal Well.

Each message fits into a color, revealing a map with directional arrows and squares representing screens. This map guides you to a starting location: where you first evolved.

Follow this path, exiting the screen each time: ←←↑←↓←↑←↓↓→↓→↑→↓↓→↑→↓↓→←←↓←↑↑←←. When you get to the other side, use the top to dig and find a time capsule with a message from Billy Basso and Dunkey.

About the Author

Cande Maldonado

Editor

Cande’s calling in life is to annoy NPCS, smash virtual pottery, and complete every side quest available in RPGs. Her passion for games dates to 2006, when she mounted a Chocobo for the first time, but she has been writing professionally for the past four years. Under Nintendo and Square Enix’s chokehold, she willingly pours hours upon hours into reaching 100% completion in the longest roleplaying games ever made. But hey, who needs fresh air and sunlight when you can just live in Ivalice?

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